The Happiness Project.

The Happiness Project..... It's in some sense my New Years Resolution. Over the past several months, i've been on a daily email list for Gretchen Rubins moment of happiness email.  It's nothing much, but every morning there is a quote waiting for me to read. I love quotes. I always have. Each quote i've ever read brings me back to a feeling i've had. It brings me back to a moment in my life, and makes me think. Her quotes sometimes make me cry, or make me laugh- but it's something i look forward to every morning.  The quote from this morning, was "They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." -Andy Warhol. The quote from this morning reminded me of my last post, the one about change.

A few weeks ago i was texting my friend Ian about our New Years plans. We started talking about our New Years resolutions. I told him mine was to find some form of happiness from each day. It's something someone has been telling me to do for a while but i felt like i was slacking at it. I also told him that i was scared i would forget about it and be consumed with the bad. Little did i know, he was going to help me make my new years resolution come true.

I was at my grandparents for Christmas, so he had Mr. Robinson deliver my Christmas gift when i got home, but i wasn't home when he came so i just got it this morning (Wednesday). When i got it, it just made me smile. It was perfect. 

This made my day. The yellow trim around the jar has the lyrics to one of my favorite songs, Steady my Heart by Kari Jobe, and the picture is one of her and i. 

So, like i told him, i'm calling his gift the happiness project. Everyday i will think of one good thing that happened, or something i learned, or even a quote that helped me through the day and i will put it in this jar. Then at the end of the year, i can read all the good that happened to me instead of thinking about all the bad. 

Today's happiness? It's the first day since my break started that i didn't have to do a single thing. It's almost 3 pm, and im still in my pajamas. I got up around 8 and got some stuff done and just have been relaxing all day. 

These past few days have been really well. On New Years, I didn't get back home until 2am, but i had probably the best night of 2012 with my friends. 

At midnight when the ball dropped, we were all in my friend Yvonnes basement. About 25 of us. Our group (sarah, Bree Yvonne and I) went into her room and started talking about some of the drama the last year has held. We all made a new years resolution to forget about all the drama thats happened, and to focus on each other. We don't need the people who have hurt us, so there's no sense in bringing their name into this new year. I don't think i could ever be as proud of my group of friends as that moment. Looking at us from 6th grade till now...... it's CRAZY.  I love my friends. They mean everything to me. Being with them for the last few hours of 2012 and the first few hours of 2013 made everything amazing. 

So here's to the "happiness project". I hope by the end of this year, i can see that happiness still does exist in the worst of times. And here's the link to the real Happiness Project website; http://www.happiness-project.com/ I like to go there when i'm done and just read some of her blogs.

If i'm optimistic about anything this year, it's that everything can only get better. Sure there may be some bad days, but looking back on 2012, nothing can be as bad as that.